One Day My Sister Died - chapter 18

Chapter 18: “Are You Wondering What Happened Last Night?

They fed, clothed, and sheltered her. They even entrusted her with important tasks, despite being an unmarried young woman. But to repay kindness with betrayal was beyond comprehension.

“What on earth could that crow, Yuan, have stolen to make him so upset?”

“Instead of just lying there, why don’t you do something, dear? I’m even getting letters asking if Felice has gone out of business!”

The mother and daughter worried as they watched the Count lying motionless in bed. The Count could only groan, “Oh, my head…”

Regina, who had been twitching her eyebrows, finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer.

“Father, instead of that crow, I’ll help with your business from now on.”

Regina subtly slid onto the bed where her father was lying and whispered.

“Honestly, I’ll do a much better job than that weakling, won’t I? My handwriting is much more beautiful too.”

Although she had never seen Yuan’s handwriting properly, Regina was confident she would do better and began clinging to her father’s arm.

“Father?”

“…”

“Father. Fa-ther!”

“Be quiet!”

Before Count Felice could push his daughter away, the Countess Felice fiercely pulled Regina’s arm and shouted.

Already on edge, having her thoughtless daughter insist on this made things unbearable.

“Why? Yuan’s gone, so there’s a vacancy for a lab assistant, right? I heard it clearly. You said she’s essential for the family’s business, right? Why does it have to be that half-blooded crow and not me? She’s left now, hasn’t she? Frederick may be big, but his handwriting is terrible, and he’s not good at studying! Obviously, I should be the one helping you, Father! Who knows? If word spreads that the daughter of Count Felice is aiding the family business, someone from a well-off family might even propose!”

“Leave, Regina.”

“Father!”

“Leave.”

With his arm draped over his eyes, Count Felice listened to the argument between his wife and daughter. He abruptly pulled his arm away from Regina and turned his back to her. His heavy, sagging back, plump with excess weight, looked forlorn.

Regina considered pushing the matter further but, upon seeing her mother’s fierce gaze, she yelled, “Just try bringing someone else in as your assistant instead of me!” Then she stormed out of the room.

Priscilla, who had been about to shout back, paused to catch her breath. She then carefully shook the Count.

“Dear, dear, please get up. Guests are once again in the side room by the laboratory…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to receive guests?!” The Count, who had been quietly groaning in despair, suddenly sat up and shouted in anger.

“We can’t manage without Yuan!”

“Then what are we supposed to do? They’ve come with even more gold than last time! Don’t you think we’ll need that money if Frederick and Regina are to marry well? When you were going on and on about not wanting to remain a court noble without a fief, where did you think the money was going to come from? Are you saying the family will collapse without that girl Yuan?”

“Yes, it will collapse! Even if they bring a wagon full of gold, it’s useless without her!”

“Stop talking nonsense! You’re the head of the Felice family! She’s just an assistant!”

As the Count raged, practically spitting with anger, the Countess took a step back, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

“Be honest. That girl Yuan—isn’t she your illegitimate child? ‘The only link between my brother and me,’ what a joke. Since when did you care so much for your brother? You always hated the snobby aristocrats, claiming you’d rather become a merchant! Isn’t she the only link between you and your mistress, not your brother? You’ve always been suspiciously protective of that girl, never assigning her any harsh tasks outside the laboratory! You’d send Louise out on errands, but Yuan was always kept inside, hosting guests in the lab!”

The Countess paced the bedroom, her fists clenched tightly as she shouted furiously.

“You’re lying here now, sick! What is it?! What is that girl to you that you made such a fuss when she left, and now you’re bedridden like this? I went along with it then, but I need to know for sure. Tell me! Speak!”

She finally grabbed the Count by the shoulders and began shaking him. Despite the hysterical shaking that made his flesh jiggle, the Count remained silent.

How could he tell her that the girl, who brought gold into the household, was the true source of Felice’s power? That the legitimacy of the Felice name stemmed from the power she possessed? How could he admit that the family’s reputation in academia, the academy, and even in the capital—where they were still recognized as “truly” Felice—was all thanks to Yuan?

How could he say that? His authority in the family was barely upheld by the gold she brought in; he couldn’t afford to lose even that.

“Has this woman gone mad?!” he shouted, but in his heart, he felt like crying.

He hadn’t even opened the letters from the grand nobles asking when they could visit again. He had reached out to Crown Prince Bolonico, explaining his situation as best as he could, begging for help, but received no response.

The most important thing was that he had realized—only now, too late—that he couldn’t conduct his research alone.

“You think I didn’t know you were giving Yuan all those odd jobs?! You needed her too, that’s why you agreed with me that day!” he yelled, pushing his wife away.

The Countess, her face a mask of shock, began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Oh, my fate, my wretched fate! I married you, the second son of a noble family with no title, because you at least seemed to have a strong sense of responsibility! But then you go and have an illegitimate child, parading that crow around as the heir to the family, humiliating me in front of others, and now you push me away! How could you do this to me, Gerrette Felice?!”

“She’s not an illegitimate child, so stop making up stories! Just take care of the children! Don’t fill Regina’s head with nonsense, and focus on preparing her for her debut! And don’t accept any more guests for the time being! Remember that!”

“What are you going to do now?! You’ve even managed to get on the bad side of the Crown Prince!”

“I’ll go to Cielo myself and settle this!”

As much as he feared Crown Prince Bolonico, what Gerrette Felice feared most was having his true self exposed and losing the Felice family’s identity.

How could he lose the title of Count he had worked so hard to secure?

The guests who had arrived were to be sent away with expensive medicines, and Yuan, the goose that laid golden eggs, had to be brought back and locked away in the side room, whether through divorce or broken engagement.

“What negotiation?! Are you thinking of bringing that girl back?! Are you willing to incur Prince Bolonico’s displeasure just for her? I’d rather you step over my dead body! I’d rather you kill me!”

No matter the misunderstanding, Felice’s secret had to be preserved.

Even though Gerrette Felice thought gold was the highest value, he knew that revealing the goose that laid golden eggs to anyone meant the end of everything.

As the head of Felice, it was a secret that everyone kept quiet about.

The golden goose of Felice.

He couldn’t stand to see anyone else monopolize it, whether it was the deposed prince or his wife, who was barking in front of him.

Gerrette Felice, still with his head in his hands, got up and hastily wrote a letter.

He had no choice but to see this through to the end, since he was already disliked.

The letter’s destination was naturally to Crown Prince Bolonico in the capital, Cielo.

***

When Yuan entered the bedroom, she saw Claude sitting in a sulky manner. Claude’s gaze was as though he were looking at something insignificant, and Yuan, trying to appear calm and respectful, folded her hands.

Though she had been forcibly brought to the bedroom to remind him of last night’s events, she honestly preferred to avoid demonstrating her abilities directly in front of him.

At least she could take some comfort in the subtle changes in the man’s hostile face, which flinched slightly and showed occasional redness in his ears, indicating some anxiety.

He was watching her like a criminal to be executed but was also nervously shaking his long legs under his nightgown.

It was proof that he was uneasy.

*I must not reveal my abilities.*

She needed to become a useful person in this household without exposing her abilities.

She was familiar with nursing.

Moreover, with a fierce man like him as her husband, she felt she might be able to avoid being dragged away if Felice came for her.

Yuan had no desire to return to Felice ever again.

The people in the black mansion were somewhat blunt and stiff, but even a small opportunity would have them eager to show her affection.

Warm-hearted people in a desolate mansion.

As Claude’s legal wife, she had the right to be there, and that meant Claude could not simply chase her away, even if he was the master of the mansion.

Especially since she had even proven her virginity and received imperial approval!

*I have the right to live in this mansion.*

Yuan tried to calm her pounding heart as she stared intently at Claude’s face.

*You might have killed my sister. It’s not me who should leave but perhaps you, the possible criminal.*

Be confident. I have the right too.

“What are you doing? Are you regretting looking at your bruised face? Are you wondering how things went last night while looking at such a face?”

Despite Yuan’s valiant effort to summon courage, Claude’s gaze was not as angry as she had anticipated from the outside. Seeing her confidently yet with a hint of grievance and observing her unwavering demeanor seemed to give him some reassurance about the confirmation of her virginity.

What was even more surprising was that, when a hint of doubt crossed Yuan’s eyes, Claude could no longer bear it and abruptly turned his gaze away.

The hideous, half-hidden face was obscured by shadows, revealing a nearly perfect white complexion. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly downward with a touch of embarrassment.